The relation of the southern trade winds to upwelling processes during the last 75,000 years

In the equatorial Pacific, between the Galapagos Islands and the coast of South America, two kinds of upwelling of oceanic waters occur. One is related to coastal upwelling and the other to surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent. Both of those processes are associated with the development of the southeast trade winds blowing in this area. Coastal upwelling is increased when the trade winds are intensified, and the surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent occurs when the trades weaken. The development of coastal upwelling and the surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent are inferred from the radiolarian assemblages in the sediments. The abundance of quartz, opal, and radiolarian assemblages in the deep-sea sediments of this area, as well as the distance from the sample locations to land and to the quartz source, is correlated with the intensity of the trade winds (in February and August) through multiple regression analysis. The chronostratigraphy of core V1929 (3°35′S, 83°56′W), used in this study, is inferred on basis of its δ¹⁸0 record. During the last 75,000 years, the fluctuations in intensity of the trade winds have been concurrent with or preceded the fluctuations in the amount of ice stored on the continents. In general, the wind velocity of the winter trades has been intensified during cool climatic stages of the earth (δ¹⁸0 stages 4 and 2) and they have been relaxed during warm stages (δ¹⁸0 stages 3 and 1). Seasonal contrast of the trade winds has also fluctuated within time, having been relatively high during the upper part of δ¹⁸0 stage 3.